Please describe the events that led to a diagnosis of a heart attack. What tests and exams did you have?

I felt a little pressure in the center of my chest and elevated breathing for about 20 seconds while walking through an airport early one morning. It went away quickly. Two days later, I was riding my bicycle and the pressure and elevated breathing happened again, this time stronger. But after I stopped and rested, it went away. I assumed it was acid reflux since it was in the center of my chest and not on the left side. Over several days, I realized that whenever I walked 50 yards or more, the pressure and shortness of breath would occur, but would go away when I stopped and rested. I finally told my wife, we went to the emergency room, they ran blood tests, etc. and everything looked fine. I was told to return in 2 days for a stress test. I failed the stress test, they performed an angioplasty, found I had 99% stenosis (blockage) in my right coronary artery. They immediately put a stent in.

I had chest pains, burning and clammy sweating, the pain was severe in the middle of my chest. I went to the emergency room. My ECG was negative but my blood enzymes were elevated so they said I had heart attack and did heart catheterization which showed I had 85% blockage in my widow maker. I had 2 open heart surgeries in 3 days' time. During my first surgery my pin came out and my heart filled with blood. I had blood clots and had to have transfusion from blood lost. I had machine on me to keep my body temperature warm and was on life support. I died twice, now I'm recovering. I had COPD and was on oxygen before all this happened and I still can't get disability.

I suffered an ischemic stroke to the left side of my brain. There were no
lasting effects of the stroke so they began a barrage of testing. The ultrasound of my heart revealed a large blood clot on my right ventricle. This
was the cause of the stroke. I have under gone the stress test which revealed the damage the heart attack had done. Two years later, I am on statins as well as aspirin therapy. My father died at 57 from congestive heart failure and had suffered three heart attacks prior to the age of 50. They determined I had a predisposed tendency to have high cholesterol. I have changed my life style and quit smoking but the fear is still there. I remember the pain that I was experiencing when the heart attack was occurring. It was a stabbing pain in the middle of my back that didn't go away for a day. I attributed it to a gall bladder attack which was very similiar and rode it out. I know better now.

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